Winemaking
At Hess Persson Estates we believe that quality wine starts in the vineyards. Our winemaking team crafts our wines to be an expression of the land and terroir. For over 40 years, we have been producing estate wines from Napa and beyond with a goal to make balanced, elegant wines, drinkable now that will only improve with time.
Meet The Team
Dave Guffy first became interested in wine as a Food Science student at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. He was working in restaurants where he had the opportunity to sample a variety of different wines and wanted to learn more. This inspired him to work a harvest at a small Santa Cruz Mountain winery, and he decided to transfer to Fresno State to be part of the enology and viticulture program.
In 1999, Donald Hess hired Guffy as Director of Winemaking for The Hess Collection after a successful stint at a Central Coast winery. “I have a strong belief in making wine in the vineyard, working each site to absolutely maximize flavors,” says Guffy. “My goal is to make ripe fruit forward California style wines with both power and elegance.”
A California native, Guffy spent many summers with his grandparents on their 500-acre Kansas farm. To this day, Guffy is fascinated by the agricultural elements of winemaking. “The farming aspect of wine has a primal challenge about it, and the same with winemaking,” says Guffy. “You can never know everything. Every year the challenge is to do it better than the year before.”
Dave Guffy first became interested in wine as a Food Science student at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. He was working in restaurants where he had the opportunity to sample a variety of different wines and wanted to learn more. This inspired him to work a harvest at a small Santa Cruz Mountain winery, and he decided to transfer to Fresno State to be part of the enology and viticulture program.
In 1999, Donald Hess hired Guffy as Director of Winemaking for The Hess Collection after a successful stint at a Central Coast winery. “I have a strong belief in making wine in the vineyard, working each site to absolutely maximize flavors,” says Guffy. “My goal is to make ripe fruit forward California style wines with both power and elegance.”
A California native, Guffy spent many summers with his grandparents on their 500-acre Kansas farm. To this day, Guffy is fascinated by the agricultural elements of winemaking. “The farming aspect of wine has a primal challenge about it, and the same with winemaking,” says Guffy. “You can never know everything. Every year the challenge is to do it better than the year before.”
Sustainability
Hess Persson Estates prides itself on being a pioneer in sustainability. All of our Estate vineyards and winery facilities are certified sustainable by the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance.
California Certified Sustainable Winegrowing is about more than checking a box. The program pushes participants to adopt over 200+ best practices in the vineyard and cellar, all whilst adopting a system of continuous improvement to ensure steps to improve are made constantly and consistently over time.
Our Vineyards
Allomi Vineyard
The Allomi Vineyard is located on the eastern base of Howell Mountain in one of the more remote areas of Napa County – Pope Valley. The combination of a long, warm growing season and well-drained soils creates optimal ripening conditions.
Iron Corral Vineyard
Our Iron Corral vineyard was named after its history in Napa Valley agriculture. Before being discovered as a wine-growing gem, this 420-acre parcel was home to early Napa ranchers. We are reminded of its history and legacy as we harvest among remnants of the ranchers’ original iron gates
Veeder Hills Vineyard
To accommodate the steep mountain slopes, the vines at this site are planted to ridges. We carefully seek out areas with thin soils so the vines are forced to struggle, producing lighter yields with small, intensely flavored berries. We avoid planting in shaded areas to ensure the vines have the best possible exposure to sunlight during the day to achieve optimal ripeness.
Veeder Summit Vineyard
Our highest estate vineyard was once the site of an old cherry orchard near the summit of Mount Veeder. Donald Hess originally planted the site to Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon. However, due to the unique microclimates, the vineyard now is considered to be well suited for early-ripening varietals such as Malbec and Merlot.